The tubular handle of a hand-held showerhead must be connected to a flexible water supply tube or hose which is normally provided with a connecting member ending, for example, in a ring nut or a fast attachment device. Accomplishing this connection presents several problems. A first problem consists of the fact that the tubular handle of the showerhead must have a relatively large diameter so that it can be comfortably grasped, while its inside passage must have a considerably smaller diameter to be adapted to a collecting portion that is shaped so as to be able to be coupled to the collecting member that can have a reduced diameter of the water supply tube. It follows from this that the handle should be very thick, which results in difficulty in molding and requires the employment of an excessive quantity of material with a corresponding increase in weight and cost. A second problem springs from the fact that there are flexible tubes whose connecting members have different diameters and/or pitches. This creates the need for molding a plurality of showerheads with tubular handles having different connecting portions adapted to the various connecting members of the flexible tubes available on the market.
One method to solve these problems is by using a connecting member that is screwed into the end of a showerhead handle, which by itself does not have any connecting means, and is fixed in position by gluing or welding with ultrasound, and which has a connecting portion adapted to be coupled to the connecting member of a flexible tube. In this way the handle of the showerhead can be produced in a standardized form and with the proper thickness, the connecting member and only the connecting member must be produced in different shapes in order to be adapted to various connecting members of the flexible tubes available on the market. However, gluing or welding of this connecting member inside the handle of a showerhead is difficult to accomplish in industrial production, since it is difficult to get the connection to have satisfactory mechanical resistance, and if the gluing does not work perfectly then there may be rejects and waste.
It is an object of this invention to provide a device for connecting a hydraulic apparatus to an external component that is easy and convenient to make on an industrial scale in a standardized shape that is easily mounted and offers acceptable mechanical resistance and hydraulic sealing.